The holidays are a time when families make hours-long drives or friends withstand the frustration of a jammed airport just to make sure everyone can come together for something as simple as a meal and some shared stories.

For one Berks County family, however, that won’t be the case this year.

Three-year-old Jason Heckman is fighting stage 4 neuroblastoma and will need to be kept in isolation with his family for the near future.

Neuroblastoma is a cancerous tumor that forms from nerve tissue. It typically strikes infants and younger children, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s website.

Advertisement

Jason’s cancer is at stage 4, the highest stage according to the National Cancer Institute, which means that it affects distant lymph nodes from where it originally manifested in the body.

Taken in for his normal doctor’s checkup in September, a mass was discovered wrapped around Jason’s intestines.

The cancer is spread throughout his body.

“It’s affecting the glands around his neck, his armpit, his kidneys, his liver, the bones in his arms,” said Jolene Banks, Jason’s aunt.

In December alone, Jason will likely have to go through three rounds of aggressive chemotherapy, during which he will more than likely be left in a weakened state.

As such, during the time not spent at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Jason and his family at home can have very few, if any, visitors. The moratorium on company could last for as long as a year, Banks said.

While most children can’t wait to invite friends over to see their rooms or to play pick-up football in the backyard, Jason’s sister, Sherry, 8, and brother, Brody, 5, will have to hold off for the safety of their baby brother.

Jason just finished his third round of chemotherapy which left him “coughing up blood,” Banks said.

“The first two were kind of easier, but they said this one would be the hardest,” she said.

A stent was supposed to be put into one of Jason’s kidneys that stopped functioning because of the cancer but there was no way to do it last week and will be put off.

In a letter explaining Jason’s situation to friends, Banks said the tumors are actually pressing on the boy’s heart.

There is a plan for treatment beyond only chemotherapy. A bone marrow transplant could take place as early as January 2013. Recovery from that will take two full years and will probably push back when Jason would be able to start kindergarten, Banks wrote.

Frequent trips to CHOP for treatment and checkups have tied up much of the schedules of Jason’s parents, Ivy and Derek.

“It’s putting a toll on the family,” Banks said. “It really is.”

In addition to doing everything they can for their sick son, Ivy and Derek are doing their best to give a full childhood to Sherry and Brody.

“To take care of a healthy child, let alone take care of a sick child, it’s putting a toll on them,” Banks said.

Derek was recently laid off for the second time from work, Banks said. Ivy works for Aetna out of their home, but, obviously, the medical bills alone have piled up. Jason’s treatment has already cost several thousand dollars, according to Banks.

Luckily, others have come forward to try to help Jason and his family.

“People at Aetna were working overtime so (Ivy) could be out for another week or so,” to tend to Jason, Banks said.

A recent “Pork and Pints” fundraiser at the West End Fire Company in Stowe was put together by Banks and others. Banks said it was well-attended by everyone from bikers to small children, all looking to help out.

Readers of The Mercury can also step up to help provide for the family.

Now in its 22nd year, Operation Holiday has provided a brighter holiday season to thousands of families with children. Last year, more than $50,000 in donations allowed the program to provide food and gifts for 227 families, including 611 children.

This year’s list of families referred by local service agencies is already at 238 families with 635 children.

“Every year we are struck by the need in our community. The loss of a job, an illness, rising food costs create issues for so many families, and at the holidays, parents in those families have the task of deciding between giving their children a holiday or paying the bills. Operation Holiday was created to help ease that burden and provide some food and gifts for children in families that have fallen on tough times,” explained Nancy March, editor of The Mercury.

“Through the generosity of our readers with donations and of our staff with their time, we are able to help families celebrate a holiday despite their circumstances.”

There is no overhead with Operation Holiday and all funds stay in the Pottstown area. Families are referred by local agencies and churches. Funds are collected and audited in a non-profit foundation account managed by staff of The Mercury. Food, which includes the fixings for a holiday dinner as well as staples for the pantry, is ordered, bought, packed and distributed by Mercury employees. Gift cards for every child in the program 16 years of age or younger are purchased through Boscov’s and distributed in partnership with the referring agencies.

Operation Holiday does not accept families who have not been referred by an agency in order to protect the integrity of the program.

Operation Holiday is funded solely by readers’ contributions. All contributions are tax deductible. Contributions may be mailed or brought to the offices of The Mercury, P.O. Box 484, Pottstown PA 19464. Make checks payable to “Operation Holiday.”

Although Jason and his family look to have a very difficult December ahead, at least a few of their concerns can be alleviated by the generosity of those that pick up the paper or open their browser to The Mercury each day.

About the Author

Frank Otto is a general assignment reporter covering Phoenixville, Limerick and Spring-Ford schools in addition to features and spot news. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Otto moonlights with the sports department on occasion. Reach the author at fotto@pottsmerc.com
or follow Frank on Twitter: @fottojourno.